Derk Richardson interviews New York based, master-saxophonist, Ned Rothenberg, who composes and performs on saxophones, clarinets, flute, and shakuhachi (an end blown Japanese bamboo flute). He has been internationally acclaimed for his solo music, which he has presented for the past 25 years in hundreds of concerts throughout North and South America, Europe, and Japan. In this Improv:21 event, recorded on February 15, 2006 at 21 Grand in Oakland, CA, Ned compares the dynamics of solo improvising with the group chemistry that is discovered when working with an ensemble. He also discusses the differences and similarities between improvising and composing, and traces the evolution of the composer from the days of composer/performers such as Bach and Beethoven to the more purely academic composers such as Schoenberg. Also touched upon are Rothenbergs studies, including those in Japan, and how the shakuhachi influences his improvisation. To illustrate his points Ned performs several solos on alto saxophone, clarinet, and shakuhachi, while demonstrating his praxis and his ways of practicing and improvising.

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